Etymologically
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pastoralis

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [paːs.toːˈraː.lɪs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [pas.toˈraː.lis][1]

Forms

pāstōrālis (neuter pāstōrāle); third-declension two-termination adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from pāstor “shepherd” with the suffix -ālis; ⟨pāstor⟩ is from pāscō “to graze”.[2][1][3] De Vaan traces ⟨pāscō⟩ to Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-s- (“to protect, herd”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD, Lewis & Short and Köbler cite Varro, vīta pāstōrālis “a shepherd's life”.[2][5][6] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant of herdsmen or shepherds, pastoral, as in Varro, Cicero, of Romulus, and Livy, and Apollo was called pāstōrālis.[2][5][7]

In the Church it meant of a pastor, a bishop or an abbot, episcopal, abbatial, and watchful.[8][9] As a noun pāstōrāle was a pasture.[8] British Medieval Latin had canis pāstōrālis “sheepdog” and carmen pāstōrāle a pastoral poem.[10] English pastoral (early 15th century) came through Old French and directly from Latin.[3]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses it.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[7][6]
  • early 15th century – English pastoral is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of shepherds or herdsmen, pastoral.[2]
  2. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Of a pastor; episcopal, abbatial.[8]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) (pāstōrāle) A pasture.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  9. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  10. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press